Improving Campus Safety & Security

Schools are among the safest places in our communities and parents should have every confidence sending their children to these educational havens. Yet, according to Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2011, (Washington DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education and Statistics 2011) in 2010, a greater number of students ages 12-18 were victims of violent crimes in the school than out of the school.

Unfortunately, school violence is a serious problem that no school can afford to ignore. Even small disturbances are not as harmless as we might like to imagine and can be indicators of bigger problems or future crisis.

However, there are measures that drastically reduce the likelihood of violence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research shows using multiple prevention strategies and levels of influence and intervention, can reduce violence and improve the school environment.

Best Ways to Improve School Safety

Since there is no way to predict a crime, and likewise no one factor that causes crime, it is imperative to use several methods to increase school safety. Your safety measures should include a combination tactical improvements, as well as measures that involve the staff, parents, students, and community. Here are some key ways you can improve school safety.

1. Start at the Personal Level

Develop programs that help students learn conflict resolution, communication, teamwork, and emotional awareness. Bridge the gaps in the teacher/staff and student relationship by developing better communication, positive engagement, and creating a more community oriented atmosphere. Improve access to school counseling.

2. Involve Parents and the Community in the Prevention of Violence

By involving parents in a well-developed crime prevention program they are more able to enforce the strategies at home and able to spot possible threats in the community. In many cases, just having an increased parental/adult presence in the school is a powerful force in preventing violence. Programs and training can also help the community deal with a crisis, should one occur.

3. Consider Tactical Improvements

Every educational institution should consider implementing the tools that will help keep students and staff safe and aid law enforcement in the event of a crisis. For example, school facilities should have a comprehensive security system that incorporates a video surveillance system. Consider a system that allows remote (such as with a smartphone) and centralized locking for the swiftest and most controlled lockdown procedures. Make sure every building is clearly labeled from all angles, including the roof. Both staff and students should be trained in emergency procedures.

About Security Instrument

At Security Instrument, we are here to answer your questions and address your concerns about school security. We’ve been proving integrated solutions for schools and campuses since 1960.

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How are You using Your Retail Security System? Amplifying Versus Protecting Assets

Is your security “bad guy” focused? For many years, most retail establishments saw retail security systems purely from the perspective of catching theft, shoplifting and employee theft. Loss prevention certainly is an important part of any retail security system, but commercial security technologies also offer far more capabilities and potential to your business. If your security is hyper-focused on malicious activities, then you are missing out on huge advantages.

Protecting Assets Using Retail Security Technology

The 2016 National Retail Security Survey revealed that retailers’ inventory shrink averaged 1.38 percent of retail sales, or $45.2 billion in 2015, up by $1.2 billion from 2014. According to the report, retailers reported increases in overall inventory shrink with shoplifting accounting for the greatest cause of loss at $377 per incident average, up by $60 from the prior year.

How can this be with retailers using the most advanced technologies? NRF Vice President of Loss Prevention, Bob Moraca said “LP professionals have been working diligently to find advancements in technology aimed at deterring crime in our industry, sometimes even before it happens—but as our techniques get more sophisticated, so too do the criminals.”

So, what is a business to do? Even with the tough job of combating savvy criminals, loss prevention technologies such as video surveillance and access control continue to be your best tool. It is important to stay informed of the latest technologies and evaluate what technologies are relevant and helpful to you. It is also important to leverage those technologies in new, and differently focused ways.

Amplifying Assets with Retail Security Technology

To truly amplify assets, companies must look beyond theft reduction when they think of retail security technologies and think about how these systems can add economic value to every facet of the company, whether it is liability, safety, productivity, consumer analytics, data mining and more.

When you move from a loss prevention singlemindedness, you make your security system investment even more valuable. Here are just a few of the asset amplifying insights you can gain:

  • Know what departments open on time or close early
  • Gain awareness of customer pain points, such as long wait times
  • Identify workflow issues
  • When customer volume increases, you can respond appropriately by opening more registers ahead of need
  • Follow in-stock position and notify vendors when stock is low
  • Identify when products are displayed in a less than optimum position
  • Identify which items should be pulled from one store and placed in another

Security technology is about much more than protecting assets. It is also about increasing value. Security Instrument Corp., is Delaware’s largest full-service independently owned security company, serving thousands of retail and commercial clients throughout Delaware, MD, NJ, and PA, and dedicated to providing systems that not only protect, but also add value.

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Leaving That Door or Window Open Once Might Be All It Takes

Most of us think we have some idea of how burglaries happen. The burglar watches the home for signs of occupancy and when the coast is clear, they break a window or kick in a door and proceed to carry off your jewelry and electronics. The problem with that picture? Many times the burglar does not have to pick a lock, break a window or kick open a door, they just turn a knob and walk in completely undetected.

It’s Worse Than You Think

Of the 1,420,000 burglaries reported in the US in 2014, 504,000 -35.2% were categorized as unlawful entry, where the burglar did not have to force entry but simply walked in. When it comes to prosecution, it can make a big difference. What makes it most disheartening to the resident is that it was an error that could have been avoided.

Pro Tip: When you use contact sensors on your doors and windows, you can check their status via your smart phone security app and take care of the problem.

 

Where Security Slips through the Cracks

Life is busy and checking every window and door each time we leave the house can be a bit laborious. Even when we do check, there is usually another family member that comes along to open what we just closed. That is, of course, if we even remembered to do that as we rush out 10 minutes late for just about everything. It happens, but all it takes is it happening once to give the burglar all the opportunity needed to make off with an average of $2,250 worth of valuables per incident.

Smart Security Picks Up the Slack in a Big Way

While forgetting is normal and human failure to be expected, smart security is the big but simple fix. Here’s how using smart, connected devices, smart security, and home automation technologies can reduce the chance of unlawful entry burglary.

  • You’re immediately alerted if you leave a door or window open. When you use contact sensors on your doors and windows, you can check their status via your smart phone security app and take care of the problem. If it is a smart garage door left open or a smart lock left unlocked, you can even close the door and lock the smart locks from your phone.
  • Your doors can lock automatically. If you use geo-location and triggers, you can have your doors all lock when you leave the house.
  • The system can be armed automatically. Also using geo-location and triggers, you can have the smart security system lock the doors then arm itself when you get a predetermined distance from your home.

About Security Instrument

Don’t leave your door wide open to crime. Founded in 1960, Security Instrument Corp. specializes in smart security and associated monitoring services. Professionally engineered systems backed by unmatched professional support.

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